coronavirus – Page 30 – The view from left field

Toronto FC hoping players can hit the BMO Training Ground by Monday — Toronto Sun

Toronto FC GM Ali Curtis said on Friday that he is hoping that TFC players can begin individual training at the BMO Training Ground as early as Monday. Read More
Toronto FC hoping players can hit the BMO Training Ground by Monday — Toronto Sun

oronto FC GM Ali Curtis said on Friday that he is hoping that TFC players can begin individual training at the BMO Training Ground as early as Monday.

“Should we have approval from appropriate government authorities and MLS, we’ll be ready to go,” Curtis told the Toronto Sun on Friday.

On Wednesday, Major League Soccer opened the door to individual player workouts outdoors at team training fields but only under strict guidelines, including social distancing. TFC officials first have to gain clearance from all three levels of government before they can give the players the green light to begin individual training at the Downsview training site. All three levels of government in Canada have posted lock downs because of the current COVID 19 crisis. The City of Toronto declared a state of emergency on March 23. A number of MLS clubs have already begun training at their respective training grounds including: Atlanta, Colorado, Inter Miami, Los Angeles FC, Nashville, Orlando City, Portland, Real Salt Lake and Sporting KC.

This week, MLS commissioner Don Garber told Nashville SC television that the league’s thinking regarding how to return to the field this year has evolved in the last month, making him more hopeful that the league will come up with a way for the 2020 season to be played.

“We’re more optimistic about what a return to play plan could look like,” Garber said. “I think a month ago we were very pessimistic. I think our country has done a pretty good job of flattening the curve, which is what the objective was. We need to be mindful of and focused on continuing to follow local guidelines because flattening the curve requires us all to be very focused and committed to all the guidelines local health authorities set out. So I would say we’re cautiously optimistic.”

MLS suspended the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 12, closing all team facilities. A league-wide moratorium on team training remains in effect May 15 and it’s unclear when the season might resume. TFC played two regular season games before the 2020 season was suspended, opening the schedule with a 2-2 draw at San Jose on Feb. 29 and defeating New York City FC 1-0 in their home opener last Saturday at BMO Field.

A number of the world’s top soccer leagues are getting ready to return to action as various lock downs are being eased. The Bundesliga will return on May 16 and the German Football Association (DFL) hope to complete the season by June 30.

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Report: NBA Personnel with Temperatures of 99.1 or Higher Can’t Enter Facilities — Darnell’s Notebook

The NBA is taking a number of precautions as teams gradually shift toward allowing personnel in practice facilities, and one of those precautions will reportedly involve keeping those with high temperatures out of the buildings… from Bleacher Report – NBA https://ift.tt/3cjlkKQ via IFTTT
Report: NBA Personnel with Temperatures of 99.1 or Higher Can’t Enter Facilities — Darnell’s Notebook

The NBA is taking a number of precautions as teams gradually shift toward allowing personnel in practice facilities, and one of those precautions will reportedly involve keeping those with high temperatures out of the buildings.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the league told its teams that anyone with a temperature equal to or greater than 99.1 degrees Fahrenheit will not be allowed inside on that day.

That comes after Charania noted Wednesday the NBA told teams they can open their practice facilities starting Friday if they are in states with more lenient stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic.

The temperature readings are far from the only restrictions in place.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted teams can choose up to six assistant coaches or player development personnel to supervise players on the court, but head coaches are not allowed to be included or observe the workouts.

According to Jeff Zillgitt and Mark Medina of USA Today, only the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets plan on opening their facilities Friday, although the Sacramento Kings will do so Monday and the Atlanta Hawks will do so at some point next week.

The Houston Rockets were going to open Friday but will have to wait until May 18 after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pushed back the day on which gyms can once again open their doors.

Zillgitt and Medina noted a previous memo from the league stated no more than four players can be inside the practice facility at once. That means there will be largely individual work done as scrimmages and other group activities cannot happen for the time being.

The NBA has been suspended since March 11 with no set plans in place to return or finish the 2019-20 season.

Despite that reality, Wojnarowski reported “an overwhelming majority of high-level officials remain encouraged and optimistic that basketball will return this season” last Thursday.

Bundesliga To Restart May 16; Germany Soccer League Ends Hiatus First — NESN.com

Germany soon will provide soccer-starved fans something to consume. The Bundesliga announced Thursday in a press release the German first and second divisions will resume their respective seasons May 16 with the playing of Round 26 games. Germany’s domestic league will become the first major soccer competitions to restart play, following a two-month-long hiatus due…
Bundesliga To Restart May 16; Germany Soccer League Ends Hiatus First — NESN.com

MLB to submit a return-to-play proposal to the players within a week — HardballTalk | NBC Sports

MLB should not, however, expect the players to rubber-stamp a return-to-play plan
MLB to submit a return-to-play proposal to the players within a week — HardballTalk | NBC Sports

Red Sox’s Collin McHugh Says MLB Can’t Make Return Mandatory For Players — NESN.com

Major League Baseball is eager to start its season. The league reportedly proposed starting a second training camp in June with the regular season following in July to its players association. An Opening Day on July 1 has been floated around, optimistically speaking, but everything rides on two things. The coronavirus, and the players’ actual…
Red Sox’s Collin McHugh Says MLB Can’t Make Return Mandatory For Players — NESN.com

Collin McHugh, who the Boston Red Sox signed a week before the original spring training got shut down, told MassLive’s Chris Cotillo that the league can’t force players to play if they’re uncomfortable with it. Here’s what McHugh had to say: We’re in a situation right now where you can’t make this mandatory. You can’t tell a guy you have to come play or else your roster spot is not going to be here when you come back. You can’t tell a guy to risk his life and the life of his family and the lives of anyone he chooses to be around to come play this game. There’s probably going to have to be some waivers signed and whatever else you need to have done to make guys feel comfortable coming back. Then, MLB and the teams are going to have to do everything in their power so that we go about this in the best way possible and don’t just start playing games, but really set an example of how to do this, how to do it well and how to do it safely. I’m probably in the minority here because I see baseball for what it is, which is an amazing game but not an essential activity. We’ve got a lot of things going on in this world that we need to happen and need to get going, and we need to do it in a safe manner. It’s going to be really hard to get the risk level down to zero no matter what we’re doing. As long as this virus is still out there and as long as we don’t have a treatment or vaccine, there’s going to be risk inherent in leaving your house. For me, as a major league baseball player and as a husband and father, I want to make sure I’m protecting myself and my family, first and foremost. With all this anticipation for sports to come back, how the players feel about returning to play has been overlooked. At the end of the day, it’s their call.

Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/05/red-soxs-collin-mchugh-says-mlb-cant-make-return-mandatory-for-players/

NBA Rumors: Adam Silver, Michele Roberts To Hold Call With Players Friday — NESN.com

The NBA and the NBA Players Association apparently are looking to follow up with players as the league’s hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic enters Week 8. NBA commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts will hold a call for players at some point Friday, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne. Players reportedly will…
NBA Rumors: Adam Silver, Michele Roberts To Hold Call With Players Friday — NESN.com

NBA says teams can reopen their practice facilities Friday; which ones will? —

Houston, Denver and Portland plan to open practice facilities for workouts Friday, but Golden State won’t open until June 1 at the earliest.
NBA says teams can reopen their practice facilities Friday; which ones will? —

Even though the NBA targeted Friday for teams to open their practice facilities to a limited number of players at a time, just a few teams – the Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets and maybe another team or two – plan to make their facility available on that day.

“That’s the plan,” Rockets CEO Tad Brown told reporters last week. “We’re certainly expecting it, and we’ll provide the safest possible environment for our guys.”

The Atlanta Hawks plan to open sometime next week, but several teams remain at least a week away, and in the case of the Golden State Warriors, weeks away, from bringing in players for individual workouts as the league deals with coronavirus-related fallout.

The league suspended its season March 11 but would like to resume if conditions allow.

In a memo delivered on Tuesday, the NBA informed teams they could reopen where stay-at-home orders have been eased. In a previous memo, the NBA provided a detailed and extensive 14-page to-do list to ensure safe and clean environments for players. Also, no more than four players at a time can use the practice facility for workouts.

Where teams stand

Atlanta: Hawks GM Travis Schlenk said, “We’re aiming to be open next week.”

The Atlanta Hawks plan to open their Emory Sports Medicine Complex practice facility next week.

Brooklyn: The Nets do not plan to open Friday.

Charlotte: The Hornets don’t have a date set and continue to evaluate the situation.

Chicago: The Bulls will not open Friday with the state under stay-at-home orders until May 30. The team is taking direction from local authorities and the NBA.

Cleveland: The Cavaliers plan to open Friday as long as the NBA continues to approve that date.

Denver: The Nuggets plan to open on Friday. The Nuggets do not anticipate immediate full attendance considering an undisclosed amount of players are currently out-of-state. But the Nuggets plan to adhere to the NBA’s issued guidelines to accommodate any voluntary individual workouts on a case-by-case basis.

Detroit: The Pistons will not open Friday and do not have a date set.

Golden State: The Warriors won’t open until June 1 at the earliest, after the city’s stay-at-home orders end on May 31.

Houston: As Texas slowly re-opens, the Rockets plan to open Friday. “We want to be able to provide them the safest possible environment for them to do that according to all the guidelines set forward by the league and health care professionals involved,” Brown told reporters.

Indiana: The Pacers do not play to open Friday.

Los Angeles Clippers: Team is following local stay-at-home orders until May 15 but has petitioned authorities to have access when state moves to phase 2 of reopening.

Los Angeles Lakers: With Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti extending stay-at-home orders through at least May 15, the Lakers plan to keep their facilities closed until at least those orders are lifted – unless they’re granted an exception from the city.

Miami: Even though Florida moves into its next phase of reopening, Miami-Dade County still has stay-at-home-orders, and the Heat will not open on Friday. It’s possible they open next week

Milwaukee: The Bucks do not plan to open Friday but are looking at a potential day next week.

New Orleans: The Pelicans don’t plan to open any earlier than May 15, when the state’s state-at-home order ends.

New York: The Knicks say they are abiding by NBA and state guidance and will not open Friday.

Oklahoma City: Thunder general manager Sam Presti said, “I wouldn’t say that we’re committed to doing that,” when asked about opening on Friday.

Orlando: As portions of Florida begin to re-open, the Magic will not open on Friday and are working on establishing a firm date. “The Orlando Magic’s foremost priority remains everyone’s health and well-being connected to the game and we will continue to follow the NBA’s guidelines while also continuing to listen to public health experts and observe local governmental directives,” the team said in a statement.

Philadelphia: The Sixers will not open Friday and will revisit the situation in about a week. Besides their own practice facility, they could also use their G League facility in nearby Wilmington, Delaware.

Phoenix: The Suns are planning to open their facility May 16 at the earliest.

Portland: The Blazers plan to open their facility for workouts on Friday.

Sacramento: The Kings will not open Friday.

San Antonio: The Spurs do not plan to open Friday.

Toronto: The city still is under stay-at-home orders, and the Raptors will not open Friday. They don’t have a firm timetable to reopen either.

Utah: Executive vice president of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey told reporters he wasn’t “at liberty to give the exact date yet” but doesn’t expect it to be Friday.

Washington: The Wizards won’t open Friday.

Boston, Dallas, Memphis and Minnesota have not yet provided details on their plans.

Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell Ready To ‘Move Forward’ After Coronavirus Incident — NESN.com

Things between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert apparently have been a bit strained the last two months, to say the least. The two Jazz teammates tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of Utah’s matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena on March 11, prompting the NBA to indefinitely suspend the 2019-20 season.…
Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell Ready To ‘Move Forward’ After Coronavirus Incident — NESN.com

Things between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert apparently have been a bit strained the last two months, to say the least. The two Jazz teammates tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of Utah’s matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena on March 11, prompting the NBA to indefinitely suspend the 2019-20 season. Gobert took plenty of heat after acting carelessly about the virus in the days leading up to his diagnosis, from comments downplaying its severity to playfully touching reporters’ microphones to make a point.

Donovan reportedly was initially “reluctant” to mend fences with Gobert after the two tested positive for the coronavirus, but things appear to have changed.

Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey says the two “know they need each other to accomplish the goals that we want to accomplish, to be the last team standing in the NBA.”

“I think they both have spoken to this. They’re ready to put this behind them and move forward, act professionally,” Lindsey said Tuesday during a Zoom conference call, per the Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen. “The night of March (11) was really unprecedented and brought a microscope to our team, and we get it.”

“… We look forward to moving forward. They’ve said their piece to each other. They’ve both visited at the ownership level, at management level, at coaching level, the players level. They’re fulling participating in our Zoom workouts.”

Pedro Martinez Forms Coalition To Help Dominican Republic Amid COVID-19 Outbreak — NESN.com

Pedro Martinez is going above and beyond to help the Dominican Republic cope with the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, and he’s not doing it alone. The Hall of Fame pitcher has developed a coalition of more than 40 Major League Baseball players to create the “Step Up to the Plate” fund aimed at supporting…
Pedro Martinez Forms Coalition To Help Dominican Republic Amid COVID-19 Outbreak — NESN.com

The Hall of Fame pitcher has developed a coalition of more than 40 Major League Baseball players to create the “Step Up to the Plate” fund aimed at supporting coronavirus relief efforts in the Dominican Republic, according to ESPN’s Marly Rivera. So far, the coalition (run by the Pedro Martinez Foundation) has raised more than $550,000 for items like essential supplies, personal protective equipment, food and more. “The Dominican Republic has always been my home, and right now it truly needs our help,” Martinez said on a video call with ESPN, per Rivera. “Being supported in this effort by so many of my fellow players is an honor. These are people without the most basic needs, and we are blessed to be in a position to help, and it is our duty to do so.” A number of past and present MLB players (all of which hail from the Dominican Republic) have pitched in their efforts, including fellow Red Sox legend David Ortiz. Martinez’s wife, Carolina, is helping lead the charge. “The focus of the help we’re providing will be twofold,” Carolina, who happens to be the director of the Pedro Martinez Foundation, said. “First, we are providing food to needy families, especially to the many that have lost their jobs. Players will be in charge of distributing meal kits in their respective communities. Second, we are providing protective equipment to our medical personnel. As it happened all over the world, the Dominican Republic is short on medical supplies to deal with a pandemic of this magnitude. It’s amazing and humbling to see all these players and artists come together to support our homeland.” Martinez said he’s received MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s word that the league will help the cause. Read more at:

Magic Johnson: Bench players will be more important without fans — LeBron Wire

NFL Announces It Will Not Play Any International Games Next Season — NESN.com

The NFL will not go abroad until 2021 at the earliest. The league announced Monday that it will not play any international games next season due to ongoing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Mexico City and London were scheduled to host one and four games, respectively, in 2020. “After considerable analysis, we believe the decision…
NFL Announces It Will Not Play Any International Games Next Season — NESN.com

Magic Johnson says players don’t need fans in the stands to compete — Sixers Wire

The spread of the novel coronavirus has had the world on hold and the NBA has been in hiatus since March 11. However, there is a chance that there will be a resumption of the 2019-20 season with both Disney World in Orlando and The Strip in Las Vegas offering a sort of “bubble” for the league to resume the season.

The biggest aspect of this “bubble” is that there will be no fans at the games. For the Philadelphia 76ers, who have the best home record in the NBA, this could play a factor for them. However, NBA legend Magic Johnson has said that that does not matter for the players.

Johnson told The Los Angeles Times:

“When you’re going for something and you get past those first few minutes, you don’t know the difference because your competitive juices kick in,” Johnson said during a recent interview. “They’re going to play the game that they love and they’re going to play it 150% like they do with the fans in the stands.
“The only thing they won’t get is that juice when they make a good play or they go on a 12-0 run. There’s nobody there to take them to another level. The crowd takes you to another level. If you’re down, the Lakers fans are some of the best fans in the NBA when they start screaming and hollering. They’ll miss that, but if you think they’re not going to perform just because fans aren’t there, no.”

The NBA is desperate to crown a champion for 2020 and they will stretch out the season as long as they have to, but it will also continue under safe conditions.

Tag: coronavirus